The JFK sounds like a floating city on the sea with an airport. I was on the Charles R. Ware and the William V. Pratt both tin cans. Different strokes for different folks. A lot of times 7018 is not practical. Neither ship had a rod oven either.

I'm sure you're not saying that just because the improperly stored 7018 you've used has never given you problems in the applications you've used it in, there's no reason for anybody to use it properly, ever. You can also drive on unlighted roads at night with your headlights off, not wash or clean cuts and wounds, or eat raw pork. Those things also work fine---until they don't.

Lincoln Electric states clearly that 7018 rod that has been exposed to high humidity or gotten wet can be reheated once, at 600-700 degrees F. for one hour. They state that longer than one hour at lower than 600 degrees will not do the job. I've heard of many ways to reheat 7018 at home or at the jobsite, but none of them could possibly be the equivalent of a 600 degree oven for an hour.

If someone isn't interested in getting the high quality welds that properly used 7018 is capable of, they might as well use 7014. It's also a 70K PSI rod, and it's a lot easier to use, even if it isn't a low hydrogen rod, and even if it isn't intended for dynamic loads.

Too bad they ran Lanse and Puddles off. They could have done some tests to compare 7018 out of the rod oven, dry 7018 at room temp and 7018 that had gotten wet and dried off. As long as it's dry 7018 is still going to be the strongest compared to the other basic rods.

Actually, Puddles did a break test that included 7018 which had been kept in a rod oven, which he called "hot", and 7018 which had been in an open container in his shop for a long time, never in a rod oven, which he called "cold". I've copied and pasted it here from the folder I keep of interesting welding related topics from this forum. It was in response to something I had asked him, but I can't remember what it was.

Author: Puddles 11-30-2012 10:06:0424.113.77.208

Stan I'm sure you realize this is in no way a very scientific test! But in a small way it does show the impact quality of each rod / wire.

The problem with that test is it doesn't show which rod is strong enough to do the job. The test shows what anyone who has done any welding at all or took the time to look up on line already knows. What it doesn't show is a test that resembles anything in real life. I have never seen any manufacturer weld 2 pieces of steel in a T shape on one side only, knowing that that piece would then be subjected to stress from the back side, much less hammer blows. A realistic and useful test would have been to weld the T on both sides as would be done in real life then try to break the welds by bending the metal to see if the welds failed. That would tell you which rod was adequate for the job. Don't forget that even the hated 6013 rod is 60,000lb strength and most of the steel that people on this forum are using is in the 40-50,000lb range. And Puddles and Lanse did not get run off, they left because they could not be the know everything people they wanted to be so they took their balls and went home. Noone knows everything about any subject. Puddles was very knowledgeable about welding, but was at best average when it came to making repairs and knew very little about trailer building which is where he took exception to me having more knowledge than him. It's too bad too because all he had to do was let the others be the experts at what they were good at and he could be the expert at what he was good at, sadly that wasn't enough for him.

I never claimed to be a better man, it was puddles who thought he was better in all ways. As I've said many times, too bad he couldn't be happy with being an expert at what he was an expert at and let the rest of us be experts at what we are experts at. Your comment is a perfect example of how you and others are just as responsible for his leaving as he is or I am or anyone else. You create an environment where he is such a star that no one can have an alternative opinion because it gets swatted down hard and fast. You brought up the test, I just pointed out it was flawed so the unknowing won't use it and make a mistake. If that is not allowed then this truly is a useless forum.

I do try to store my rod in plastic boxes they come in and keep them as dry as I can. Sure wish I could afford the welders I would like to have. Sure would be nice to have a mig with Argon gas and a nice Tig set up

I store my rods be it 7018 0r 7014 in my shop so yep humid in the shop at times. Never yet had any problems with bad welds doing it the way I do but if wet I just make sure I stick the rod for a moment or 2 and that heats it up and seems to work just fine.

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